Selecting Distance Learning Technologies

 

In this scenario there is a high school History Teacher located on the west coast of the U.S. and wants to show her students new exhibits from two New York City museums by way of virtual tours where the students also are able to interact with the museum curator.

As a novice designer, I would have to make sure the method of learning is student centered “ because it so strongly promotes active learning, collaboration, mastery of the course material, and student control over the learning process” (Simonson, M., et al. 2012). The hybrid/blended learning approach would most likely be the best choice to use in this situation because students will be able to view and participate in the presentation and gather together back in the classroom to collaborate and critique. They would use a web conferencing software tool such as Blackboard Collaborate or Elluminate which “provides an online learning environment with Voice over Internet Protocol (Vo IP), video and collaboration options that allow teachers and students to interact as if face-to-face” (Laureate Edu., 2013). It can also be integrated into CMS’s such as Schoology. Using this CMS the instructor will be allowed to “adapt students learning strengths, differentiate instruction and easily develop new methods of instruction” (Schoology, 2013) as well as get her students to think and question things on a higher level, spark debate and increase participation. Within the museum tour the Curator will be able to interact with the student while giving the tour virtually and they will be able to get instant feedback to questions as well as participating actively in the session as if they were actually there. “Participants are also able to draw, write, and collaborate on the displayed content simultaneously” (Blackboard Collaborate, 2013).

Since Blackboard Collaborate can be used in conjunction with Schoology, this helps in boosting student engagement because the teacher can post pictures of the two pieces of artwork that she had chosen for the critique and the students can respond to what they see via instant messaging among each other. Then once the learners return to class within the face to face environment, the discussion can be continued and they can form their groups to critique the two art pieces the teacher had posted for them to talk about.

 

 

 

 

References

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Blackboard Collaborate, (2013) Sharing content in a web conferencing session. Video Presentation.

                Retrieved from: http://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Collaborate/Resources/Recorded-Demos.aspx

Laureate Education,  (2013) Menu of technologies.  Discussion technologies. Video Presentation

                Retrieved from: https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2095296_1%26url%3D

Schoology, (2013)  Schoology’s teacher tools.

                Retrieved from: https://www.schoology.com/classroom-management.php

Mind Map

Defining Distance Learning Mind Map

Prezi link:

http://prezi.com/ivhldkca8e99/copy-of-distance-learning/?kw=view-ivhldkca8e99&rc=ref-28805207

Defining Distance Learning

Week 1 Application

 

The actual definition of distance learning is an “institution based, formal education where the learning group is separated and where interactive telecommunications are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors” (Simonson, M., et al 2012). My definition of distance learning is being able to have access to courses and learning material from a remote location. Also having the ability to communicate via email, phone, or through online discussion forum.

In my experience as a distance learner I’ve been exposed to three types of distance learning. The first was a hybrid course during my undergrad studies about 13 years ago. I was able to have the F2F instruction from the professor for part of the course and the other part of the course was to be completed online. With this format you get the best of both worlds because you have the instructor to guide you along if you encounter any issues and it allowed for more flexibility, but one of the drawbacks was that it meant having more work and making sure to meet the requirements for weekly F2F class time and log in time outside the classroom.

The second experience I had was through synchronous learning. All of the courses were online so there was a lot more flexibility than hybrid but with this format the class was scheduled to meet at specific times and days. There was also the use of video conferencing and instant messaging with the instructor and classmates; this was a great idea for participation and engagement but when having to meet a specified times it could conflict with work schedules and be an issue for students in different time zones. In my case it began to conflict with my work schedule and family at the time.

The last approach I took to distance learning was the asynchronous format here at Walden. Out of them all, this one is best suited for me because I am able to work on my own time, participate in discussions where I’m able to formulate my thoughts when responding, unlike the synchronous approach where you are chatting live and others seem to overpower the discussion.

The definition of distance learning is always changing because DL is going to continue to evolve. There will always be ways to make improvements as technology continues to change.

In looking at the history and evolution of DL, it started out with correspondence study stemming way back at least 160 years ago, then eventually evolving into audio recordings, teleconferencing, video conferencing, computer technology and the internet, even the use of mobile devices. “Distance education provides the opportunity to widen intellectual horizons, as well as the chance to improve and update professional knowledge. Further, it stresses individuality of learning and flexibility in both time and place of study” (Simonson, M., et al. 2012).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at   a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Cost and Allocation of Resources

The first site I found to be helpful in gathering information on cost and allocation of resources is: http://www.cognitivedesignsolutions.com/Information/ProjectMgt.htm#Build. Since the "costs are compromised of all the resources to carry out a project"(Cognitive Design Solutions, 2003), the goals are to first estimate the costs by developing approximate tasks and/or resources that are needed; next is to define and share cost information, and lastly prepare to manage costs by tracking them to make sure you stay within budget.

As for managing resources tou have to track the progress on tasks, identify and resolve allocation problems and manage shared resources to make sure the project is cost effective and flexible as possible.

The second site I found is: http://university.uog.edu/cals/people/pubs/mgt/f217.pdf. The article is called "Understanding, Allocating, and Controlling Overhead Costs". It discusses ways to control overhead costs by departmentalizing and performing a break even analysis.


References

Kenkel, P., (n.d.). Understanding, allocating, and controlling overhead costs. Oklahoma State University.

Cognitive Design Solutions, (2003). Project management. retrieved from: http://www.cognitivedesignsolutions.com/Information/ProjectMgt.htm#Build

Effective Communication

   

Email

The email just gave the basic information of what needed to be done in order to meet the deadline. It was written with a very professional tone and got straight to the point.

Written communication such as emails should start with a clear purpose, keep a respectful and business friendly tone and should also be used a backup to live communications so that there is no misinterpretations to what was said.

Voicemail

The VM included the same information as the email. The speaker’s tone was very nice and they were very specific about what they needed without being rude.

Face to Face

With this method of communication the person is very professional she smiles she’s calm and looks to gain eye contact with the other party to let them know it’s a serious matter that requires a sense of urgency and needs to be taken care of. According to Dr. Stolovich its best to deliver important information live and with all of the people present.

References

Laurete Education Inc., (2012). Communicating with stakeholders (Video Presentation) Presented by Dr. Stolovich.

Project Yearbook

At the beginning of the school year I was given the project of teaching a yearbook class to a group of 12 eighth grade students. The goal was for them to design and create the yearbook for the school year, under my direction. I was given the project because the person that originally had this task of putting the book together suddenly quit and left the school. They did not ask me if I wanted to do it they basically told me I was doing it. I was chosen to take over because I had a fairly strong background in graphic design so they thought those skills would make the transition easier for the students and that the book would be completed in a timely manner... I basically went into this assignment blind because I had no knowledge of the software they were using or how to add photos, articles or anything for that matter. I was very nervous at first because I did not know how I was going to teach this course to a group of kids and I wasn’t familiar with the software at all.

 I had about a week to familiarize myself with the software and learn the functions. There were video tutorials included so that I could grasp the concept of how to use the program but it did not cover every detail, it covered just enough for basic navigation. I began to navigate different places within the site myself and learn the functions on my own in order to become more advanced in using it.

When the time came to start the course with the students I had learned quite a bit about the program, at least being confident enough to instruct a class on it. I was beginning to show them how to create various page layouts, insert article, and activity photos. I had a student who was doing a layout for grade level photos and she asks me “Ms. Wright how do I insert these photos because I’m not allowed to click and drag them like the others?” I’m thinking to myself, that’s a function I did not learn how to do yet. To assist her in solving that problem I went back to my computer and quickly viewed the tutorial on that function and went back over to the student and helped her navigate through adding the grade level photos.

In looking back at the course, things that contributed to its success even though it was a last minute project for me I still found a way to get through it by planning lessons for the students, assigning them specific roles and duties to make them feel as though they were a major part of the process, and learning the program. Also if I failed at this I would fail them and I didn’t want to be responsible for doing that.

Artifacts that were not included in the process that could have been were, providing more visual presentations to assist in the understanding of the software to the students. They had to learn it just as I did so for instructional tools I could have used the tutorials and created activities to assist them in learning verses me just giving direct instruction.

Distance Learning and Interactive Tours

Scenerio:


A high school history teacher, located on the west coast of the United States, wants to showcase to her students new exhibits being held at two prominent New York City museums. The teacher wants her students to take a "tour" of the museums and be able to interact with the museum curators, as well as see the art work on display. Afterward, the teacher would like to choose two pieces of artwork from each exhibit and have the students participate in a group critique of the individual work of art. As a novice of distance learning and distance learning technologies, the teacher turned to the school district’s instructional designer for assistance. In the role of the instructional designer, what distance learning technologies would you suggest the teacher use to provide the best learning experience for her students?



Suggestions:


As the instructional designer in a scenerio such as the one stated above; I would suggest using a technology that is very user friendly, inexpensive and something that students can actively participate in with their classmates. The course reading states , "taking tthe time to develop good visual media will enhance the quality of the learning experience" (Simonson, M. et. al., 2012). One of the programs I chose is called Prezi. This program comes at a small cost but there is a free trial with this  that gives you the feel of its features and allows you the opportunity to create your own presentation. A summary of the features include:

• The ability to zoom in close or pan out for better visualization of your ideas and concepts
• Being able to import images, youtube videos, PDF's and other types of media
• Adding a story line to go along with visuals
• Collaborating with peers in real-time
• The ability to present on and offline
• Customizable themes

This technology would be very beneficial in this situation because the presentation would be very professional, outline and emphasis key points and provide the opportunity for student critiques.

Features and interactive example:

Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gCmL0P5RNA


Another technology that can be used in combination with Prezi is Skype education. With this program students are allowed to communicate via video and voice conferencing as well as through instant messages. By using these two programs in conjunction with each other, students will be able to effectively communicate with the curator and they will become actively engaged in the learning process.


References


Simonson, M., et. al., (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) p. 159


Youtube, (2009). Prezi Demo 2. retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gCmL0P5RNA




One more technology I would like to share is called The Docent Tour, I I saw the video and thought it was pretty intriguing:

retrieved from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeLuDol1XVo